Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, AttorneyPublished by Child Injury Lawyer Blog
In day care centers located in South Carolina and throughout the Nation, there is a common danger that many parents and day care center providers do not understand and even ignore. The common danger to children is present during nap time or sleep time. There is a risk of suffocation, asphyxiation, and SIDS related injuries and deaths during sleep time or nap time. Many child care providers and day care center providers swaddle newborns and infants in day care centers. Swaddling is the practice of wrapping an infant in blankets snuggly so that movement is limited.
Pediatric experts have mixed opinions as to the safety of swaddling in the home and day care center. Many experts warn against the use of swaddling that there is a potential increased risk of suffocation, asphyxiation, and SIDS related injuries that may be associated with swaddling according to some reports and studies. Some pediatricians and child care providers are proponents of the practice because it tends to calm infants and allows them to sleep for longer periods of time. Again, others are against the practice of swaddling due to potential health and safety risks.
South Carolina authorities are investigating how a toddler wandered off from a College Park Road day care center. The Department of Social Services spokeswoman, Marilyn Matheus, said that a two-year-old girl walked off the property of Noah’s Ark Daycare Center and Kindergarten while she was under their care. The toddler was found uninjured and DSS was contacted.
A nine-year-old boy suffered permanent injuries as a result of a Bible camp game at a South Charleston church. His parents filed a lawsuit against the church and alleged that their son fell and struck his face on a carpeted-cement floor. According to the lawsuit, the boy suffered from severe lacerations on his bottom lip and chin, damaged his teeth and drifted out of consciousness. The boy’s lawyer, Benjamin Salango, said that the laceration severed a nerve in his face, which has affected his ability to speak. The boy’s medical condition and injuries required therapy through a speech therapist regularly. In addition, the boy sustained a permanent scar from the cut, said the lawyer.
In Columbia, South Carolina, a two month investigation by WLTX uncovered what parents should know about their child’s safety in daycares. WLTX found that several day care facilities had issues noted by the Department of Social Services (DSS). There were a variety of issues listed: unsafe facilities, abusive treatment of children, lack of supervision, serving expired milk to infants, and caregivers listening inappropriate music and watching soap operas in the presence of children.
Child abuse is described as any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse includes any damage done to a child which cannot be reasonably explained and which is often accompanied by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature.
Spring Break brings high school, college, and other people out to bars, restaurants, and the beach. Most people go to Spring Break destinations to have fun with friends and meet new ones. Unfortunately, Spring Break crowds make for busier roads and, yes, drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs. Four fatal crashes were recently reported in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. See 
Due to an increasing awareness and concern about a child safety at day care centers, Kendra’s law has been on the books in South Carolina since August 2010. A consequence of the law is that people are starting to pay more attention to what goes on into child care centers. The law seems to come at a perfect time. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data reported more than 1700 child deaths were reported in 2007. Some day care centers in South Carolina are easing parents mind by installing new technology in the facilities. Essential Childcare has placed cameras all throughout the center allowing parents to watch their children from a secure website or mobile device. The center has made the process of pick-up and drop-off digital as well. The only people who can pick up a child must be registered in the system ahead of time. A person picking up a child at Essential Childcare will have to be registered in the system ahead of time, touch his/her finger to a machine, and then input a code to unlock the doors. The new technology developments are the result of putting safety at the forefront of child care. For more please read 
In McCormick, South Carolina, a family and community are mourning the tragic and most unexpected death of a 9 year old girl. It was reported that Kristen Dutton was attacked by an Akita dog that was purchased just three weeks before the incident by the girl’s grandfather. The Japanese Akita was quite a large dog and weighed in at 98 pounds. The dog bit the girl in the neck and she died from these dog bite related personal injuries at a local hospital. The incident took place outside when Kristen was alone with the dog. It was reported that the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control would pick up the dog to euthanize it. See